In an update to a tragic case that I wrote about some months ago, a federal grand jury on Thursday indicted a Missouri woman who allegedly participated in a cruel online hoax that ultimately ended up with a 13-year-old girl committing suicide.

Lori Drew, from the St. Louis area, allegedly posed as 16-year-old Josh Evans on MySpace.com, striking up a relationship with neighbor Megan Meier, a former friend of her daughter's. After befriending Meier, "Josh" then abruptly ended the friendship and sent hurtful messages to Meier, who took her own life shortly thereafter.

According to an Associated Press report, federal prosecutors charged Drew with "one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress."

The federal charges announced Thursday come after local prosecutors in Missouri were unable to find evidence of a state crime having been committed.

About the author

During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina.
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